Self-riveting seal



May 6, 1947 o. M. POLKINGHARN 2,420,094

SELF-RIVETING SEAL Filed March 14, v1945 31 wml/bom OR/l. /7. PoL/f//vf//A/Y/V Patented May 6, i947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SELF-RIVETING SEAL Oril M. Polkingharn, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Application March 14, 1945, Serial No. 582,635

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to locking seals whereby a container such as a railroad car is locked and the primary object of the invention is the provision of a device of this type the interlocked ends of which cannot be detached from one another without visibly mutilating or destroying it.

It is also an object of this invention to produce a comparatively simple, inexpensive device of this character which may be called self-riveting in the sense that any attempt to extract the inner end of the seal from the outer or housing end will deform the former in such manner as to make the attempted separation of the interlocked ends impossible.

With these objects in mind my invention resides in the features of construction and arrangements, to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the locked seal standing on its thin edge;

Figure 2 is a top plan edge View;

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4--4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the entire seal lying flat; and

Figure 6 is a section through the housing of a seal in locked position.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the improved seal of fairly strong sheet or strap metal comprises a relatively long and narrow strap 2 which is beveled (3) at one corner of its free end and slitted (4) along the opposite longitudinal edge to a point short of this end so that a tongue 5 is formed. While I have shown a slit entering the edge at an acute angle and then running parallel to the edge and a tongue the acute angle of which is cut off at 6, the tongue may also be formed in other ways. This tongue is bent outward (Figure 5).

At the opposite end of the strap is a, wider housing 1 part of about twice the `width of the narrow portion. The housing is formed by bending the wide portion upon itself on a median line transverse to its length. The edge 8 of the fold is then deformed into an outwardly concave surface 9 (Figure 1) and the intermediate parts I0 of the housing are thereby made to bulge outwardly and laterally. The concave surface is slitted (l i) lengthwise thereby creating two lips l2 which are bent then inwardly (Figure 4) to provide lateral pockets I3 the outer one of which receives the tongue with a result to be described later. The housing thus created is finished by riveting I4 or otherwise securing the three free or unfolded edges of the housing parts. I do not wish to limit myself to any method of making the housing or to any particular shape thereof.

The inwardly bent lip portions of the housing are either slightly spaced from one another or. if they touch one another, yield so as to permit the passage of the tongued end of the seal.

To apply the latter the tongued end is passed through eyes secured to the door and door frame respectively of a freight ca!` and then inserted into the open end of the seal housing previously described. As soon as the tongue has passed beyond the inwardly lipped edges of the housing, the tongued end is retracted so that the tongue enters into the outer one of the pockets formed by the lip on the enlarged portion of the strap (Figure 4). A further pull on the strap will form a bend l5 in the tongue extending to the other side of the housing and bearing with its folded edge against the lip on the rear part of the housing. The two seal portions are now firmly interlocked. The seal can only be removed by severmg it which even a casual inspection would discover.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A locking seal comprising, a strip terminating near one end in a resilient tongue diverging laterally of the remainder of the strip and in direction away from such end, a folded housing at the opposite end of the strip and including an entrance through the folded edge and defined by a pair of inwardly bent lips each forming an interior pocket one of which receives the free end of the tongue during attempted retraction of the tongue from the housing.

2. In a locking seal, an elongated strip having, near one end, an integral resilient tongue diverging from the strip in a direction away from said end, the opposite end of the strip being folded back upon itself to form a housing, the portions, forming the housing, being secured together along their unfolded edges, an entrance in the 'folded edge of the housing for receiving the first mentioned end of the strip and said tongue, said entrance being defined by inturned lips defining a lateral bulge in a side of the housing fo;` re- 3 ception of the inserted tongue to prevent retraction of the rst mentioned strip end from the housing.

3. In a locking seal, an elongated strip having, near one end, an integra1 resilient tongue diverging from the strip in a direction away from said end, the opposite end of the strip being folded back upon itself to form a housing, the portions, forming the housing, being secured together along their unfolded edges, an entrance in the folded edge of the housing for receiving the rst mentioned end of the strip and said tongue, said entrance being dened by inturned lips defining a lateral bulge in a. side of the housing for reception of the inserted tongue to prevent retraction 15 of the first mentioned strip end from the housing, said bulge extending to a side of one of the lips and being constructed and arranged to receive and deform the tongue, when retraction of the rst mentioned strip end from the housing is at- 20 tempted, to position the intermediate portion of the tongue transversely of the housing, across and substantially in closing relationship to the inner side of the entrance.

ORIL M. POLKINGHARN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in theA le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS i 

